Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material

ABSTRACT

The apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, of the type comprising a housing ( 2 ), a cover ( 3 ), a drum ( 4 ), a cutter device ( 5 -6) built into the drum, and drum cocking and returning means incorporating, arranged on a lateral side of the drum, a crank ( 7 ) and a cocking spring ( 8 ), the side plates being constructed to support the reel holder, is noteworthy in that it comprises an anti-looping device for preventing looping of the material coming from the reel (B) of material including at least one mechanism acting on the reel holder to lock it in position, this mechanism being arranged on one of the side plates of the housing, and being actuated by a flyweight device ( 12 ) built into the movement of the rotating drum and either causing or not causing the reel holder ( 13 ) lock to be operated in the case of application of a large force and traction on the strip of material.

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of apparatuses fordispensing paper wipes made of cellulose wadding, creped paper, orsuchlike material, intended more particularly for wiping the hands ofusers, to the dispensing of toilet paper, and to the dispensing of papertowels. The pieces of paper may be in folded or unfolded form.

[0002] The Applicant has developed many patents on apparatuses of theabove type in automatic and semiautomatic versions, and dispensing ofstrips of paper taken from a loading reel.

[0003] The main components of such an apparatus will be brieflyrecalled. An apparatus for dispensing wiping material numbered as awhole by (1) comprises a housing (2), a cover (3), a drum (4), a cutterdevice (5-6) built into the drum and drum cocking and returning meansincorporating a crank (7) and a spring (8). In its upper part, thehousing is fitted with side plates (2 a) capable of receiving the reelholder (9) of a reel of wiping material (B). These side plates may be offixed positions, in which case the reel of wiping material is suspendedabove the drum. In a variant, the side plates or arms of a reel holderare jointed and mounted on the housing in such a way that the reel ofwiping material comes into contact with the drum itself.

[0004] Such arrangements are very common in this sort of apparatus. Theway the user pulls on the strip of paper can vary greatly with a largeror smaller force, to say nothing of the direction of the pull which canbe an additional factor in the operation of the dispensing apparatus.Loops can then appear between the reel of wiping material and the druminvolving a length of some centimeters of the strip.

[0005] In order to remedy this problem, the Applicant has developedanti-looping devices, notably in patent FR 2,643,808. These anti-loopingdevices make use of rotating lever assemblies mounted with respect tothe reel holder and able to produce a pivoting action in order to reduceor compensate for the looping phenomenon and tension the strip ofmaterial. Such assemblies work very satisfactorily but tend to interferewith the loading of the apparatus, being face and in the front plane ofthe reel of material.

[0006] There is also another problem with the cost of the moldsnecessary for producing the anti-looping device. Despite all theprecautions, it is also possible for several strips of material to bedispensed.

[0007] The object according to the invention was therefore to remedythese problems by proposing a better solution that would notinconvenience the user when assembling and loading the apparatus.

[0008] In accordance with another object of the invention, the Applicanthas adopted a technical concept which can, in its principle, be usedboth for apparatuses in which the loading reel is suspended on thesupporting side plates, or the reel rests on the drum by virtue of thepivoting of a reel holder with jointed arms or side plates.

[0009] In accordance with a first characteristic, the apparatus fordispensing a wiping material, of the type comprising a housing, a cover,a drum, a cutter device built into the drum, and drum cocking andreturning means incorporating, arranged on a lateral side of the drum, acrank and a cocking spring, the side plates being constructed to supportthe reel holder, is noteworthy in that it comprises an anti-loopingdevice for preventing looping of the material coming from the reel ofmaterial including at least one mechanism acting on the reel holder tolock it in position, this mechanism being arranged on one of the sideplates of the housing, and being actuated by a flyweight device builtinto the movement of the rotating drum and either causing or not causingthe reel holder lock to be operated in the case of application of alarge tensile force on the strip of material.

[0010] These features and others also will become clear in the remainderof the description.

[0011] In order to provide a clear idea of the subject of the invention,illustrated in a non-restrictive manner in the figures of the drawingsin which:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of an apparatus for dispensing a wipingmaterial illustrating a first embodiment of the anti-looping device fora reel of wiping material suspended on fixed side plates of the reelholder.

[0013]FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view illustrating an anti-loopingmechanism inserted on the left side plate of the apparatus.

[0014]FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view illustrating the anti-loopingmechanism inserted on the right side plate of the apparatus.

[0015]FIG. 4 is a front view indicated by the line A-A in FIG. 2illustrating the limiting of the rotation of the anti-looping device onthe left side plate.

[0016]FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views illustrating the blocking ofthe reel holder in position from the right side plate.

[0017]FIG. 7 is a side view of the dispensing apparatus according to theinvention in a second embodiment in which the reel holder supportingside plate is jointed to allow the reel to rest on the drum.

[0018]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the anti-looping devicethat fits on the right side plate of the apparatus.

[0019] In order to render the subject of the invention more concrete, itwill now be described in a non-restrictive manner illustrated in thefigures of the drawings.

[0020] The dispensing apparatus numbered (1) as a whole is constructedwith an anti-looping device for preventing looping of the materialcoming from the reel of material, this device including at least onefirst mechanism acting on the reel holder to lock it in position, thesaid first mechanism being constructed so as to be arranged on a firstside plate of the dispensing apparatus. This applies both to apparatuseshaving the reel of material suspended on a fixed side plate, and thereel resting on the drum, the arms of a jointed support reel holder.

[0021] According to the invention, the end pieces integral with thefixed side plate or plates or arms of a jointed reel holder are thusgiven specific shapes forming the regions of attachment of complementarymeans on the mechanisms in question that can be actuated.

[0022] In practice, certain components complementary to the dispensingapparatus must be identified in each of its versions, the fixed sideplate version or the jointed reel holder version in which the mechanismsof the device of the invention are employed.

[0023] The drum (4) is of the type comprising a means whose lateral endsform side plate [sic] by which the cutter blade holder is supported. Oneof the side plates is in practice constructed with an ovoid lamina (10)provided with a profiled opening (10 a) while a second inner lamina (10b) also formed integrally with the sleeve (11) supporting the side plate(10) has an opening (10 c) for the insertion of a supporting pin (12 a)of a hinged flyweight (12). The said flyweight thus has a dowel (12 b)forming a hinge pin, and an outwardly projecting protrusion (12 c) ableto pass through the opening (10 a) formed in the ovoid lamina (10). Theprojecting end (12 c) of the flyweight (12) thus comes more or lessadjacent to the inside face of the side plate of the housing. Theflyweight pivots freely and is hinged by gravity when the drum (4) andtherefore its end side plates rotate.

[0024] According to the invention, the anti-looping device that acts onthe reel holder mounted on the fixed side plate is devised by thefollowing arrangement:

[0025] The reel holder side plate (2 a) is constructed so as to take arevolving end piece (13) which can be fitted into the core (14) of thereel of material. This end piece (13) possesses a cylindrical supportingsurface (13 a) fitted inside the said core and is extended by a disk(15) provided with a multitude of regularly spaced projections or teeth(15 a) around its periphery. Mounted between the side plate (2 a) of thehousing and the disk (15) of the end piece is a lever (16) of greatlength whose upper end (16 a) forming a head pivots on a connecting pin(17) integral with the side plate (2 a) of the housing, and whoseposition can be made closer for the locking function. The upper end (16a) of the said lever provides attachment for one end (18 a) of a returnspring (18) whose other end (18 b) is integral with the side plate ofthe housing. The said return spring (18) is not under tension as long asthe lever (16) is not being pushed. This lever is also provided with aprojecting dowel (16 b) situated adjacent on the notched disk. Thebottom end (16 c) of the lever (16) is provided with an end situatedadjacent to the side plate of the drum supporting the abovementionedflyweight (12). In addition, the said lever (16) comprises, near itsbottom end, an inner hooked shape (16 d) that is able to be guided andheld in position by a fixed lug (19) integral with the inside face (2 a)of the side plate of the housing, limiting the lateral pivoting of thelever. In addition and in opposition to this lug, a projecting stop (20)is able to restrain the lever (16) in the other direction, thus actingas a travel limiter.

[0026] As an adjunct, the end piece (13) that takes the core of the reelof wiping material can be constructed with a peripheral central recess(13 b) forming a housing able to take rolling-contact means (21) ofneedle type held in place by semicircular half-shells (22) A band orbelt (23) encloses the whole and serves as a supporting plane for thereel.

[0027] In this embodiment the device works in the following manner. Whenthe operator pulls the strip of material with too great a force, theremay be insufficient time for the flyweight (12) to pivot, in its housingin order to pass underneath the end of the lever (16). In this situationthe said flyweight (12), being carried along by the speed of rotation ofthe drum, therefore strikes the bottom end of the abovementioned lever(16). On contacting the said lever it turns it, against the action ofits spring (18) connected to the top end or head. Also, the projectingdowel (16 b) is also pivoted and enters the adjacent space between twoconsecutive teeth (15 a) of the notched disk. Its engagement thereforelocks the reel holder in position. In addition, the belt (23) mounted onthe end piece (13) provides an extra braking action on the reel core.

[0028] As a variant, the disk (15) may be produced in the form of apolygonal section against which the abovementioned dowel (16 b) pressessuccessively. Other configurations of the disk (15) may be engaged inorder to produce the action of contact, pressure and locking of thelever.

[0029] The return to level occurs automatically by the returning of thedrum by the return spring of the crank and the winding back of thematerial onto the reel holder.

[0030] Reference will now be made to the second embodiment illustratedin FIGS. 5 to 8. As in the prior art, the reel holder support (25) isconstructed in a U shape in which the side arms (25 a) are fitted withan end piece (13) that can fit into the reel core. One of the arms (25a) of this reel holder support may itself be on a pivoting mounting inorder to facilitate loading of the apparatus. Elastic means forreturning and tensioning this reel holder support allow contact andpressure between the reel and the drum.

[0031] The anti-looping device is thus constructed as follows.

[0032] The end piece (13) that fits into the core is made as describedearlier, so the same references will be used.

[0033] The drum is constructed in a similar way with, near one of itsside plates, a flyweight (12) for preventing reverse rotation of thedrum.

[0034] In this embodiment the anti-looping mechanism is as follows.

[0035] A first lever (26) is situated from the rear wall of the housingand pivots on a pin (27) that runs into the adjacent side plate of thehousing and on an inner lug (28) which provides the hinge point for thereel holder support via a bracket (29) and a connecting pin (30). Thereel holder arm is advantageously U-shaped to enable it to accommodatein its interior a parallelepipedal block (31) that can slide inside thesaid arm. The blind face of the said arm contains an obliquely orientedelongate slot (32) that will allow a projecting dowel (33) on theabovementioned block (31) to move and slide between an upper positionand a lower position. This block (31) is integral with an L-shapedsecond lever (34) whose upper leg (34 a) is attached to the block (31)and whose lower leg (34 b) is mounted on the pivot pin of the reelholder support. The end (34 b) of the said second lever contains anelongate indentation (34 c) in which the said pin (30) slides so thatthe position of the second lever (34) and hence of the block (31)attached to the latter can be varied. The lug (28) molded in the housingis located between the bottom end of the said second lever (34) and theregion (26 a) of pivoting and attachment of the said first lever (26).The lug (28) thus has a through opening (28 a) for the pin connected tothe first lever (26) and a second through opening (28 b) for the pinconnected to the second lever (34) and the hinge base of the reelsupport arm. A return spring (36) is provided between the first lever(26) with a point of attachment and the second lever (34) at its angledpart (34 d).

[0036] Positioning is therefore as follows.

[0037] When not under pressure, that is when the drum of the apparatusis turning normally and the flyweight is returning to its normalposition, there is no action on the first lever. The reel holder canrotate as normal.

[0038] In the event of sudden application of pressure by too strong atug from the user, the flyweight (12) connected to the drum is no longerable to return to its initial place. It therefore strikes the free end(26 c) of the first lever (26), causing it to pivot and rotate. Thispivoting will place the free end of the first lever in contact with thelower face of the second lever (34), imparting to it a movement ofupward displacement along the reel holder arm. This movement willdisplace the dowel (33) attached to the said block (31) and result inits positioning itself between two consecutive teeth (15 a) of thenotched circular lamina (15) of the end piece. There will likewise belocking of the end piece so that the reel cannot turn. The freeing ofthe lever (26) by the flyweight happens automatically under the samecircumstances as indicated earlier.

[0039] Reference should now be made to FIG. 2 of the drawings in whichthe second reel holder side plate is itself fitted with a complementarymeans for turning the reel backwards.

[0040] In this complementary embodiment whose aim is to have the reelturned backwards in order to rewind the reel in the event that a loopdevelops, the mechanism comprises the following arrangements.

[0041] The side plate, in the fixed version, is fitted with a centralhub (37) secured by a screw or other means. This hub (37) is shoulderedand takes on its end a hat-like end piece (38) with an outwardsupporting surface (38 a) that takes the core of the reel and a covershape (38 b) surrounding the abovementioned hub. A spiral spring (39) isarranged in the resulting housing with one end (39 a) fixed to the sideplate and the other end (39 b) fixed to the cover. The rotation of thereel when the paper is pulled by the user will cause the reel holdermeans to turn in one direction, tightening the spring and storingenergy. This tension is maintained for as long as the free end of thestrip of paper is held. The release of the paper produces elasticrelaxation causing the strip of material to retreat, thereby eliminatingany looping thereof that may have occurred. A stop (40) limits thetravel and rotation of the end piece (38).

[0042] An apparatus for dispensing a strip of wiping material cantherefore be provided with the various mechanisms to avoid the loopingeffects referred to.

1. Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, of the type comprising ahousing (2), a cover (3), a drum (4), a cutter device (5-6) built intothe drum, and drum cocking and returning means incorporating, arrangedon a lateral side of the drum, a crank (7) and a cocking spring (8),side plates of the housing being constructed for the reel of material, areel holder, of a reel of material [sic], the apparatus beingcharacterized in that it comprises an anti-looping device for preventinglooping of the material coming from the reel (B) of material includingat least one mechanism acting on the reel holder to lock it in position,this mechanism being arranged on one of the side plates of the housing,and being actuated by a flyweight device (12) built into the movement ofthe rotating drum and either causing or not causing the reel holder (13)lock to be operated in the case of application of a large tensile forceon the strip of material.
 2. Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material,according to claim 1, characterized in that the drum (4) possesseslaterally a side plate constructed with an ovoid lamina (10) providedwith a profiled opening (10 a) and with an inner lamina (10 b) integralwith the sleeve (11) supporting the side plate, the said lamina havingan opening (10 c) for the insertion of a hinged pin (12 a) to support aflyweight (12), the said flyweight comprising a dowel (12 b) forming ahinge pin and an outwardly projecting protrusion (12 c) passing throughthe opening (10 a) to act on the reel holder locking mechanism. 3.Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, according to claim 1,characterized in that the reel holder side plate (2 a) possesses an endpiece (13) comprising a cylindrical part engaging in the core (14) ofthe reel, the said end piece having an extension in the form of a disk(15) provided with a multitude of projections or teeth (15 a) around itsperiphery, and in that, between the side plate (2 a) of the housing andthe disk (15) of the end piece, is a lever (16) of great length, theupper end of which is constructed with a means (16 b) able to act on thenotched parts of the disk, while the lower end is constructed so as tobe acted upon by the said flyweight (12), the said lever pivoting on aconnecting pin (17) integral with the side plate (2 a).
 4. Apparatus fordispensing a wiping material, according to claim 3, characterized inthat the said lever (16) forms a head at its upper end, and pivots on aconnecting pin (17) integral with the side plate of the housing, towhich upper end is fixed a return spring (18) whose other end isintegral with the side plate of the housing, and in that the said levercomprises a projecting dowel (16 b) situated on the notched disk. 5.Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, according to either ofclaims 3 and 4, characterized in that the lever (16) comprises, near itsbottom end, an inward hooked shape (16 d) able to be guided and held inposition by a fixed lug (19) integral with the inside face of the sideplate of the housing in order to limit the lateral pivoting of thelever, and in that a projecting stop (20) is arranged in opposition tothe said lamina [sic] in order to restrain the lever in the otherdirection.
 6. Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, according toclaim 3, characterized in that the end piece (13) that takes the core ofthe reel of wiping material is constructed with a peripheral centralrecess (13 b) forming a housing that takes rolling-contact means (21),is [sic] held in place by two semicircular half-shells (22), while abelt (23) encloses the whole and serves as a support for the reel, thesaid belt acting as a brake.
 7. Apparatus for dispensing a wipingmaterial, according to claim 1, characterized in that a reel holder armis jointed with a U configuration, the side arms being fitted with anend piece (13) that fits into the reel core, and in that one of the sidearms of the reel holder side plate is fitted with means that are able tomove in order to be acted upon by the flyweight (12) of the drum andlock the reel holder end piece in position.
 8. Apparatus for dispensinga wiping material, according to claim 7, characterized in that the reelholder arm is able to accommodate a parallelepipedal sliding block (31)in its interior, the said block taking a projecting dowel (33) that isable to act or not act on the end piece (13) provided with a notchedcircular lamina, the said block being integral with a second lever (34)whose upper leg (34 a) is attached to the block and whose lower leg (34b) is mounted on the pivot pin of the reel holder support, the end ofthe said lever (34) being provided with an elongate indentation (34 c)allowing sliding of the pin (30) in order to vary the position of thelever (34) and hence of the block, this being under the action of theflyweight (12) in pressure contact with the lever (26), causing thelatter to turn.
 9. Apparatus for dispensing a wiping material, accordingto claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a lamina (28) connectingthe bottom end of the second lever (34) to the region of attachment (26a) of the first lever (26), and the lamina has a through opening (28 a)for the pin connected to the first lever and a second through opening(28 b) for the pin connected to the second lever (34) and the hinge baseof the reel holder arm, and in that a return spring (26 [sic]) connectsthe levers (26) and (34).
 10. Apparatus for dispensing a wipingmaterial, according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the sideplates is fitted with a shouldered central hub (37) that takes on itsend a hat-like end piece (38) with an outward supporting surface (38 a)that takes the core of the reel and a cover shape (38 b) surrounding thesaid hub, and in that a spiral spring (39) is arranged in the resultinghousing with one end (39 a) fixed to the side plate and the other end(39 b) fixed to the cover (38 b), and in that the rotation of the reelwhen the paper is pulled by the user will cause the reel holder means toturn in one direction, tightening the spring and storing energy, thistension being maintained for as long as the free end of the strip ofpaper is held, and in that the release of the paper produces elasticrelaxation causing the strip of material to retreat, thereby eliminatingany looping thereof that may have occurred, and in that a stop (40)limits the travel and rotation of the end piece (38).